How to prepare Moroccan Baghrir ?

 Despite the ethnic and cultural mix of Amazighs , especially those who live in remote and rugged areas that are difficult to access , despite being the first inhabitants of North Africa and having experienced through the Phoenician  , Byzantine , Roman  , Arab , Ottoman and French age – making incursions ,  Amazigh cuisine was not  affected  by all this .     

             Nowadays  , many Berber cuisines and dishes have become an integral part of our Moroccan culture and identity , and we have long distinguished ourselves from our authentic Moroccan dishes , including couscous,  msemen and  Baghrir.       

            Baghrir is a  pie  or  a pancake of Berber origin that is very popular in North Africa and is an abundant pie and prepared for celebrations in North Africa of traditional rituals and  festivals ,   light pancakes , with an extremely soft texture ,  are cooked in round form on one side only , and are known  by  the large and numerous holes that can be one millimeter or one and a half millimeters long on the upper side .  These small holes appear gradually when they are cooked , which also indicates the success of the recipe and that you have made them well .  

                 In our culture , there are those who associate the success of the recipe with psychological factors  –  if you cooked out of satisfaction and out of a lot of love , you will succeed in your recipe , if you are in a bad mood , there is a good chance that your recipe will turn into a disaster – and we find that some people say that during cooking ,  the person must be in a positive state of mind ,  calm and not accelerate the process .    

         Baghrir is served accompanied  by mint tea or  coffee  in different ways depending on the region .

            In Kabyle , it is served with olive oil and sprinkled with sugar or  honey in most of the time ,  and sometimes sprinkled with a traditional drink based on orange blossom water  and  cinnamon , but in the rest of the country , it is consumed with butter and  honey during an afternoon when it is  cold . 

               In the northwest of Algeria , it is called bagrer ,  and in the eastern country side, they call it  Hatta ,  but in the region of Great Kabyle , it is called  Tajrin  or  Tabojin  and  Bagaya in the small region of Kabylia and  Corsa in Constantine , while in Tunisia it is called  Todfest .  

       Baghrir is also known as \”pancake with a thousand  hole” and is a Moroccan origin dish .  

          If its nutritional value turns out to be reasonable , at 174  per 100 grams , it is however important to know how to use it  wisely  because toppings  can  add  calories  very  quickly .

During a slimming program and diet , how can we optimize and manage to eat baghrir ?   

             Baghrir itself is interesting because it is a food that will easily remove cravings  .

Rich in slow sugar and low in fat , it responds effectively . However , the toppings you choose can double or even triple calories .  

What about a light Baghrir with one of the sugars , a fruit smoothie , or even better, freshly cut ?

      In this case , one will not exceed 200 kcal 100 grams , which is a healthy snack .

You can prepare delicious pancakes  in several ways . Here is the most successful and simple  way :

First of all , this is the list of the ingredients you will need :

• 2 cups of soft  semolina .
• 4 cups of warm water .
• 1 cup of flour .
• 1 bag of cake yeast  .
• 1 teaspoon of dry  bread yeast .
• 1 sachet  of vanilla sugar.  
• A pinch of salt .
• 1 teaspoon of vinegar  .

Now , let’s move to the preparation method :

1. Put the dry yeast in a bowl with a little warm water to loosen it .

2- In the electric mixer , pour both flour , add the sweet soft semolina , then add cake  yeast , after that add a little bit of vanilla   sugar,  a pinch of salt and diluted yeast .

3- Add some warm water and mix for a few minutes .

4- Add a small amount of vinegar and mix again . 

5- Put the dough that you obtained in a concave bowl , cover it and leave it there at room temperature that is  – to say from 20 to 25 ° C for about an hour .

6- In a non – stick saucepan , pour a spoon of dough without pre-fattening it with oil  or butter , then gently spread the dough and cook over medium heat until the mixture dries after the formation of a set of cavities .  

7- Cook the  baghrir on one side only .

    Depending on the reaction of the dough (depending on the heat of the environment,  the heat of the plate/ stove or the gas … ), it is necessary to put more or less dough.

8- let the dough spread out on its own and if necessary,  help it by moving a little bit the pan … You  have to find your own way to make them leather .

Serve the hot  baghrir , with melted butter syrup and honey .  

Baghrir or Moroccan pancakes , is a Moroccan origin dish , but also well known internationally . Have you ever tasted it?

If you plan to cook it,  you just have to follow the recipe we just shared . We look forward to the photos of your Baghrir😉  .